What's picking in March in Australia?

Last checked 25 September 2026

Short answer

Grape harvest and apples are the big employers across the south; Mildura, the Barossa, Griffith and the Huon Valley hire hard. On Matey's harvest calendar, 20 of 28 tracked harvest towns are in season in March, including Stanthorpe, Orange, Shepparton, Kununurra, and McLaren Vale.

By state in March

Queensland

23 farms on Matey harvesting: bananas, avocados, apples, strawberries, coffee, papaya, mangoes, macadamias.

Bundaberg: sweet potatoes Childers: citrus Tully: bananas Innisfail: bananas Gatton: salad vegetables Stanthorpe: apples

New South Wales

15 farms on Matey harvesting: apples, cherries, wine grapes, citrus, stone fruit, peaches, nectarines, plums.

Griffith: citrus Orange: apples

Victoria

21 farms on Matey harvesting: apples, pears, table grapes, nectarines, citrus, almonds, peaches, lettuce.

Mildura: wine Shepparton: pears Swan Hill: stone fruit

Western Australia

10 farms on Matey harvesting: apples, bananas, potatoes, wine grapes, mangoes, tomatoes, nectarines, pears.

Kununurra: melons Manjimup: apples Margaret River: wine grapes

South Australia

13 farms on Matey harvesting: wine grapes, almonds, cherries, apples, potatoes, carrots, onions, citrus.

Renmark: citrus McLaren Vale: wine grapes Barossa Valley: wine grapes

Tasmania

14 farms on Matey harvesting: apples, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, carrots, onions, strawberries, berries.

Huonville: apples Devonport: berries Scottsdale: berries

Northern Territory

3 farms on Matey harvesting: pearling (deckhands, pearl-farm crew), watermelons, pumpkins, aquaculture (barramundi farm hands, harvest, processing).

Seasons move with the weather by a few weeks either way, so arrive a little before the peak and line up the next job while you are still on the current one. Every town page has live jobs and the local farms, with backpacker reviews as they come in. For which towns count toward the second year, see does my town count.

Other months

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Common follow-up questions

Where is the best farm work in March?

Grape harvest and apples are the big employers across the south; Mildura, the Barossa, Griffith and the Huon Valley hire hard. Towns in season include Stanthorpe, Orange, Shepparton, Kununurra, and McLaren Vale.

Does March farm work count for the 88 days?

Yes, if it is plant and animal cultivation in an eligible regional postcode and paid at award rates, with payslips. The month does not matter; the work type, the postcode and the pay do.

Sources

General information, not migration or legal advice. Rules and pay rates change, so confirm anything your visa depends on with the official source.

Count your days as you go

Matey's free 88-day tracker logs each day with the farm and postcode, and keeps your payslips in one place for the visa application.

Open the 88-day tracker